The Grand Bazaar (Universal Vendor Search)

The Grand Bazaar will allow players to search, locate, and purchase all the items listed by vendors for sale in the game world. Many of our players are familiar with and even nostalgic of the process of scouring the game world to locate vendors that are selling the items you need or finding steals on items you might not. While this style of shopping has its appeal to many players it is cumbersome and overall unenjoyable to many. However, we wanted to implement a system that didn’t entirely remove the element of traveling, exploring, and shopping. You can search for an item you’d like to obtain and purchase the item directly from a board. Once the transaction is complete, a marker will appear on your mini-map, directing you to the player vendor so you can pick up your purchase from the merchant at that location.

 

Like I've said in another post, I would suggest to not include the price in these "Global Search" features. You will still be able to find specific Items you are hunting for, but will still need to visit the store to see the price. This will eliminate the need to spend 2 hours looking through all the vendors in merchant towns, but will still allow for people to use their own prices without being force to adjust to the global search window's prices.

 

Long needed feature.

Masking pricing is a double edged sword, I don't want to waste my time travelling to someone who's baited their vendor with a stack of overpriced commonly searched items to "get people to browse." But I suppose in the long run you'd figure out whose vendors to ignore completely... Even without pricing this would really help bring sellers and buyers together - combing through hundreds of individual vendors in dozens of towns wastes hours not even considering load times.

 

I agree, I just feel like this is the best way to compromise to make everyone happier than the current state of things. If I just have to look at 4 vendors and compare their prices, instead of browsing thousands just to find those 4 vendors, I would rather run to the 4 and compare than running the thousands

 

Compromise with who ?
Who would NOT be happy to see the item price ?

 

Every person who spends more time selling than buying, because if the prices show up, they HAVE to have the same price as everyone, so they won't make as much profit as before (Thinking about Christiano, CICI, and a few other Merchants in this game). Without the price, a player can either decide to run to all the vendors, compare prices, and then run back to the best price they found, OR they can decide to buy the 1st one they deem to have a fair price, which means some people who have higher prices than other will still get sales.

Did you seriously think EVERYONE would be happy with a price showing up? I can guarantee that if this wishlist item, that has come up so very often, does end up being in the works, and Chris mentions "Price will be shown", Threads with hundreds of replies WILL show up, 100%, dividing the very small population once again.

 

I would be happy with price showing up =) I'm all for a Global Search or Town Search !!!

 

Ahhh... a level playing field, no more price gouging . How terrible!

Btw, CICI is not one of the gougers, and I have shopped with her - she would benefit greatly from vendor search.
I've never heard of Christiano, which says a lot about NOT having a vendor search, and I expect he (along with MOST everyone else) would be MUCH better off with a universal search.

Nope, there are the few price gougers who would hate it in the beginning, but they too would quickly learn how best to actually compete and make a fair profit.

Yup, there would be hundreds - of positive feedback - but of course our current handful of gougers who would scream a bit, until they realize they might sell for a bit (or in a few cases a LOT) less - but they would have access to every avatar in the game seeing their goods and will end up profiting even more.

You're right, in that we do have a small population, and I contend that NOT having a universal vendor search with descriptions and prices is the largest single reason why young say to hell with it and do not stay...

 

Dang it CICI, my post was in the making and you beat me to it ......

 

This is what I get for checking "What's New" seeing this post, wondering "Holy **** is this in the game?" then realizing after reading all the replies that this is in the "Wishlist" forum. You got me.

As a buyer, let me give you my experience from the last two days. Two days ago, I set out to upgrade my sorely lacking gear. I went to the usual places, some of the places nearby, then a few other towns I knew in the past to have a lot of popular vendors. I spent a few hours of running around doing this. I spent almost all of yesterday still searching. I had to use my phone to "screenshot" items/prices, put them into One Note to compare, then run back to find things I wanted. I gave up after several hours looking for one final thing when the town I was in became bogged down in lag. This is not a fun experience. Anything improving the experience is appreciated.

 

And you, my friend @Magnus Zarwaddim have perfectly described exactly why so many people have come and gone from SotA.

With a couple hundred POTS and NPC towns ingame, how on earth is someone looking to purchase something going to find it with our current system of "spend your hours running endlessly between loading screens hoping to find something you desire and can afford" ?

I know I would spend a LOT more gold if I could see all available items for sale... I don't even bother running around for an hour or two unless I'm desperate and can't either get it myself from drops/harvest or have our guild smith make it for me.
I know my guild smith would love to sell his "seconds" (which would be fantastic for young players)...

Universal vendor search would - in itself - save this game, and would be enthusiastically embraced by 99% of our dwindling player base.

 

Interesting read. Global search will not “Force” me to adjust anything due to someone vastly undercutting value on items. I will continue to charge what I believe is fair. I will also continue to have an inventory to supply my regular customers.

There is also a value in service, and having what people want in stock regardless of someone bottoming out the market for a day or a week.

Thousands of happy people from positive transactions hardly indicates “price gouging”. It’s a free market. Just because someone doesn’t sell for your version of a “fair price” doesn’t mean they are doing anything wrong.

Time and the market will sort itself out. I’ve been here since the beginning, and have pages of positive reviews from happy people.

Middleton Markets, Brittany Alleys will be here no matter how the market swings.

*hat tip*
~Cristiano

 

Can make the Public vendor in too a town vendor Item search and make you walk to the vendor if you want to buy the Item =) Only within the same town! (Sell it to player owned Towns for 10k COTO's)

 

Global Search: No
Town Search: Yes

Make it still worth something for people to advertise their towns and businesses.

 

This is exactly what Public Vendors should be used for

 

@Cristiano Kimberlin Advertise how/where ?

 

Advertise in Trade Channel, Forums and Discord
Lots of options.

 

With a universal vendor search you wouldn't have to bother with those, right ?

 

Well past due. A huge quality of life improvement for so many players. It's astounding that this still hasn't been implemented. I'm sick of searching multiple vendors in multiple towns for items I am chasing.